The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-09-17
/ Democrat for Governor of Louisiana.
EVitor ". q. Cay lem:
"A plague o. both the houses"

The guberuatoriat campaign in this
State has assumed such character OF
personality through the bitterness anu
malignancy Of the respective adher-
ents of the two prominent aspirants
for Governor, that il is no longer y
laudable contest in the party among
Democrats for political honors rs 1t
was of old, but is only miserable
scramble for office, led on the one side
by public fuuctionaries comfortably
provided for, and on the other, by
hungry set of chronic otliceseekers who
are ''out" and are struggling 10 get
"in." This is the platform upon which
the campaign is now being conducted
much to the disgust OF the people of
the entire State.
The absence OF anything like an or
ganized opposition on the part of the
Republican party makes the election
of u Democratic candidate purely Il
family matter. No political princi-
pie can be involved, aud hence the
nomination of candidates should turn
upon their party loyalty and devotion,
their personal qualifications, fitness
and merit.
The friends and supporters, however,
of both Gov. McEuery and eX-Gov.
Nichols have introduced other issues
in tho campaign upon which they
propose to so before the Democratic
State convention. But these issues are
OF such an irrelevant, offensive and
questionable character that we doub,
if the mass of the Democratic party
will hesitate to repudiate them, and at
the same time rcbuke their authors by
nfn irr "a OF ,.,ir
chosen candidates.
The assumption that there are but
two men In Louisiana worthy Of the
honor and qualified to I'LL The position
of Governor is an insult not only to the
Democratic party, but to every voter
in the State, But this is the absurd
pretension of tho McEuery and Mich
oils factions. With both the cry is: at
CosGy, AIT n,ii,ts'
Again, we believe that if tho people
Of Louisiana are surfeitcd with any
thing "Sqttc al ad0scttit, it is the revi
val and agitation of old war issues and
of the dark, gloomy and unhappy duys
of reconstruction. The Republican
party has been very generally con-
demned for Haunting the "bloody
shirt" in every political canvass and
for disturbing the peaceful and har-
monious relations between the two
sections of Our country, which arc
growing stronger and more cordial day
by day, and yet what DO we find right
here at home and just in our own
political ranks:
The trends and newspaper organs of
two excellent gentlemen aud good
Democrats, at loss how otherwise to
promote the aspirations OF their res
pective favoIites, overhaul their poll
ticaf records OF ten or twelve years
back, when nearly all !hc white pco-
pie of the State were united as one
man, fighting for the rescue Of their
government from Negro and Radi-
cal control, and not giving much heed
to the methods pursued in accomplish.
ing their purpose, Those were revu-
iutiOnary times, aud mtny things were
done approvingIy then which to-day
would be denounced aud condemned.
But they were the acts OF the whole
people, we might say, and all were
alike responsible for them. How i'll
advised, unwise and impolitic then to
lug itito the present catnpaigu, as an
issue, the question Of bufdoZing IN
a decade ago. Every good citizen, we
think, would rejoice to sec the veil Of
oblivion drawn over those troubulou3
and unfortunate days. Certainly but
few can be willing to see such an issue
invoked, ut this late day, to nominate
or defeat a Democratic candidate for
any Office.
Equally uni Just and unwarianteh is
it to charge cx-Guv. Nichols with
having dickered and traded with the
Republican members o! the Lrgisla-
ture in order to establish the govern
ment Of the white people and the
Democratic party Of the State. Those
who accuse him to-day were his adj
viscrs then and parties to the trans.
actions. Every honorable man Will
admit that those were measures of
cxpedicncy made imperative by the
eXigcncy Of the occasion, and are not
Legitimate subjects for discussion in
this campaign, or to be brought up as
political sins against those who parti.
cipatcd in them, more especially since
they resulted most successfully. and
forever secured the redemption ui the
State.
On the other hand, Gov. McEaGry IL
unIustly arraigHea on the charges Of
creating personal government hy ap-
pointing zig friends, as if il were natu-
raj or reasonable for him, ur any other
Governor, to surround himself by enc
mics. lie IL also charged with being
in alliance with q corrupt estate ring"